Plumpton’s playing fields are located on Station Road, Plumpton (opposite the railway station) formally known as King George V Playing Field. KGVPF is a designated Fields in Trust field.  The playing field is owned by Plumpton Parish Council.

The pavilion at the KGVPF is also the home of Honeybees Preschool. The site also has a public playpark, skatepark, basketball court and provides the space for cricket, stoolball and football pitches plus archery.  The pavilion at KGVPF has been a well-used and loved building for over 80 years. In 2010 there were plans drawn up to replace the building but for financial reasons at the time the Parish Council could not proceed.  In 2017/8 major refurbishment of the kitchen/communal areas/changing rooms was completed and sections of the outside cladding was renewed. This was funded by a £50,000 grant plus fundraised money from various user groups and the Parish Council. During this refurbishment it was noted that the life of the building would be in the region of about ten years.

Honeybees Preschool has grown from strength to strength having achieved an Ofsted Outstanding report in 2023.  Honeybees are in desperate need of a more functional facility which remains at this location within the parish so parents can walk their children to the school. Recent legislation requires that additional space for infants is provided and the increasing numbers of young children wanting to attend Honeybees means the current facility is not sustainable.

The King George V Playing Field is registered with the Charity Commission and the Parish Council are sole managing trustees of the charity.  The Parish Council formed the Playing Field Committee which is made up of representatives from various sports clubs, Honeybees Preschool and Parish Council members.

The Parish Council along with the users of the pavilion have over the years worked very hard to maintain the building and in November 2023 the Parish Council, after having assessed the building and with regard to the increasing costs of maintaining the building, agreed that investing in a new pavilion is the way forward.

A working group has been formed.  Invitations to the parish and user groups were sent out asking for members to sit on the working group.  There were few responses, and the working group now consists of four parish councillors, two members of Honeybees preschool and two members representing the sports clubs.  The first meeting of the working group was held on 23rd January where a project wish list was formed by the user representatives.  Plumpton Parish Council opened three surveys which were published online and promoted on Facebook, monthly parish magazine and the parish council’s website.

Results of the surveys can be found here:

Plumpton Parish Council Pavilion Neighbours survey 2024

Plumpton Parish Council Pavilion Resident survey 2024

Plumpton Parish Council Pavilion User survey 2024

At the same time the Parish Council agreed to commission George Pottinger Architect to provide a Structural Appraisal of the building to see if it would be financially viable to refurbish rather than demolish the building. His report can be found here: Structural Appraisal. It was agreed by the Parish Council at their meeting in May 2024, following recommendation from the working group, that it was not financially viable to refurbish the building as the foundations do not support the current building regulations and bringing these foundations up to standard would be more costly than demolishing and rebuilding.

The working group investigated and spoke to many prefab companies who could provide a new building and manage the whole project but after much investigation it was apparent that these companies wanted architectural drawings before considering quoting.  George Pottinger was therefore appointed Project Manager.  The project plan can be viewed here: Project Programme. George Pottinger completed the Stage 1 report with the Stage 2 report received on 8th July 2024. Stage 2 report shows a single storey design and a two-storey design.  It was apparent that the extra cost to build a two-storey building did not justify the small increase the footprint and therefore the working group agreed to move with the single-story approach. A topographical survey was completed on 1st July and can be viewed here: Structural Survey. At the parish council meeting held on 9th July it was agreed to proceed with Stage 3 plus a drainage and environmental survey.  A further site meeting is to take place on 29th July to discuss final design and layout.  On receipt of this final design two consultations will be held week commencing 5th August for the sports users to view and comment and week commencing 12th August for residents and parents/carers of Honeybees to view and comment.  Subject to final comments from the consultation, it is anticipated that a planning application will be submitted to Lewes District Council on 16th August.

The estimated cost of the single storey build will be between £1m and £1.3m (this will be confirmed once a quantity surveyor submits their report at the end of Stage 3).  Plumpton Parish Council plan to apply for the Lewes District portion of Community Infrastructure Levy and potentially a Public Works Board Loan (if absolutely necessary) with educational grants being applied for by Honeybees plus Sport England/National Lottery Community grants by the sports users.   The architectural fees and other surveys are being funded through receipts from Community Infrastructure Levy made possible by recent housing developments made within the parish.

Public Consultations are being held for the Users and Preschool on 5th August and for residents on 15th August both commencing at 19:45 at the Pavilion.

July 2024